East Side News from the Vitascope

Posted Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 9:15 AM

Happy New Year to our readers! For the "reader" who called my mother, Jean McKeel, on this past weekend, please give me a call at 636-256-3934 in St. Louis. Mother has a new phone system, and she heard very little of your "call". Or, you can e-mail me at b.j.mck@sbcglobal.net .

1910-1919

"Rector Vitascope," via "Clay County Courier," Corning

January 22, 1910

News-From the East Side

Miss Alice Mitchell of Greenway came down Wednesday and is the guest of her brother, J.D. Mitchell, and wife on Third and Phillips.....The Rector Cornet band is progressing nicely and in connection with Rector's band, Prof. Freeman is organizing an orchestra which is also making rapid progress.....Miss Carrie Barnett, one of Bernie's accomplished young ladies, returned home last week after a lengthy visit with M. A. Daniel and wife and J. H. Barnett and family.....J. H. Barnett is taking the census of Rector this week and on last Wednesday the population on west side only had reached almost 1,500; the calculation is that Rector will census 3,500.--Rector "Vitascope."

Our news item Title regarding the "East Side" refers to the Eastern District of Clay County. Corning is part of the Western District. You'll remember that the hills of Crowleys Ridge separate the two areas.

36 year old, Laura Alice Mitchell, of Greenway, daughter of David and Sophrona Dickson Mitchell, was an older sister of James D. Mitchell of Rector. James D. was married to Ruby Barnett, the daughter of James H. and Sophie Barnett of Rector. Sadly, Alice Mitchell died 2 years later, in 1912, and is buried in Mitchell Cemetery at Greenway.

Also, in our "east side news", we find a Carrie Barnett, from Bernie, Missouri, visiting the same James H. and Sophie Barnett, already mentioned. James H. was a retired merchant who had moved to Rector between 1900 and 1910. And, as we read here, he was the 1910 U.S. Census Enumerator for the Rector area.

Matthew A. Daniel was operating Daniel Drugstore in Rector, and had moved here from Bernie, Mo., about 1908, with his wife, Myrtle Barnett Daniel. His drugstore was located on Main Street, where many of us will remember Phillips Drugstore. James H. Barnett, Myrtle Barnett Daniel, and Carrie Barnett, were obviously related, but your writer hasn't connected the "dots" yet.

I am aware that Rector had Cornet Bands, off and on, as far back as 1893, but I haven't discovered the names of the members. Perhaps, the mentioned Prof. Freeman, could have been Rector resident, Patrick T. Freeman or his son, Jeff?